Car-end reinforcement



l. M. CULEMAN.

CAR END HEINFORCEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED Aus.26. Isla.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

/m/n/ar James /'7. C/eman ffm. f. fx ,9h75` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. COLEMAN, 0F MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 JAMES W. CDLEMAN, OFMONTREAL, CANADA.

CAB-END REINFORCEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1920.

Application led August 26, 1918. Serial No. 251,465.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES M. COLEMAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-End Reinforcements, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in car end stilfeners and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and eflicient means for stiffening the ends of box cars to resist internal pressure.

A further object is to provide means for securely connecting the ends of boxcars to the sides. A

The device consists essentially of a truss construction secured inside the end of a box car close to the roof and connected to the vertical framing of the end to supportvthe same and hold the ends against bulgin when the load shifts with the stopping and starting of the car. The truss construction may be of various forms and may include the car end as part of the truss or may be entirel se arate therefrom.

In e rawings which illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a car looking toward the end and shows one form of stlfener in place.

Fi 2, 3 and 4 are fragmentary horizonta sectional views of a car showing va rions forms of stiffener in position.

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of an end of a stiflener showing modified constructions which mag` be applied to any of the forms shown in igs. 2, 3 or 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the end and 12 the side of a box car and 13 the roof. In ordinary car construction the end is provided with a pair of vertical frame members 14 disposed symmetrically about the center line. In order to stiften the end and enable it to resist the internal thrust of shifting loads when the car stops or starts a pair of sup: plementary frame members 15 are provided outside the members 14. These supplementary members are usually in the form of metal beams of I or Z sections which are rigidly secured at their lower ends to the under-frame of the car. These supplementary members are unattached at their upper extremities because there is no suiciently strong framing at the roof of a wooden ear to which they may be attached and they are intended to resist outward gin' inward) pressure by their inherent rigi 'ty.

According to this invention the upper extremities of these supplementary frames are secured to a truss which is connected to the end and sides of the car. The truss comprises a compression member 16 which may be an angle or a channel,` and a tension member which may be the end of the car or a separate member 17 as shown in Fig. 4. The center part of the compression member is spaced away from the end of the car and from the tension member by a filler 18. The compression member is inclined from the central part toward the end of the car and at its extremities is bent to form feet 19 which are bolted tothe sides of the car. The supplementary members 15 are secured to the central part of the compression member 16 by bolts 20 which pass through the filler 18.

In the form shown in Fig. 2 the inclination of the compression member is such that it touches the car end very close to the sides so that if bolted to the car end at all there is room for only one bolt. In the form shown in Fig. 3 the inclination is greater so that portions 21 are provided at each side of the car which' bear against and ma be securely bolted. to the car end. In the fibrin shown in Fig. 4 a straight-line tension member 17 is riveted at its ends to the compression member adjacent the feet 19. This tension member referably takes the form of a flat strap o? metal. It is immaterial so far as the compression member is concerned whether the tension member is an end carline 23, as in Fi s. 2 and 3, or a separate member 17 as in ig. 4.

In order to stiften and support the feet 19, gusset plates 22 may be riveted between the feet and adjacent portions of the compression member. The gusset plate is applicable to any of the forms shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The operation of the device is extremely simple. The compression member alone or with the tension member 17 may be inserted in either new or 01d cars with equal facility. 'When the load in a car exerts outward pressure on the ends this load is transmitted 1n part to the compression member 16 by the members 14 and 15. The force exerted tends to straighten the compression memberI which straightening'isresisted by the tension member whether the same is in the form of u special member 17 or merely the car end l1. The secure attachment of the feet of the compression member to the sides ofthecar prevent the stiil'e'ner being movedbodily outward When it' resists the .tendency to straighten. The gusset plates 22 strengthen the structure et 'the sharp turn where `the 'eetwjo'in the body. of the 'member. IIf desiredfffeet fermedintegral `with the compression member may be omitted entirely and .gusset plates 22a provided having downturned flanges o1" -feet which may be bolted to the sidesv of the car, Thestiifcnerserves also'to'holdlthe sides of the car against spreading away from one another.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. An inside end stiiener for box cars located above and-separate from the under frame comprising a one piece compression member arched away from the car end in its central portion and connected to `the cerrend toward its extremities.

2. A device accnrding to claim l having feet attached to thesidesof the car.

3. An inside end Vstiifener for box cars, located-above and separate 'from the under frame, comprising a compression member arched :swayY from the cai end in its central portion and connected to the cer end toward its extremities, feet attached Ato the sides of the cai-r, ,and a Ber-spacing its central portion I away from the car end.

4. All IinsideA `end stifenerA for box cars comprising :in combination with external lvertical `end ifreinesaV compression member arched at fits center away Afromthe car end and connected at its center to said vertical frame members Aand .at its endsto the lcar endendto-ftheceresides. i

5. ln car construction, the combination with vertical end frame members oi e truss connected at itscent'er tothe upper extremities' ofsaid'meinbers, comprising an arched `coinpression member and a tension member forming part of the car frame proper.

6. A device according to claim, in which the compression member is arched inwardly from the car endindts central portion and the part of the car frame forming the tension member of the truss is an end carline.

7. "In car constructionpthe combination withvertieal end frame members, off'a truss connectedat its `centerfto the upperextremities of said members, `seid truss being connecteditoethc car sides, the truss comprising a compression member arched inwardly from the car end in its `centred portion; and :in end carline secured to the ends of Said compression member and -forming a, tension member, and a filler interposed between the compression and tension members, and bolts connecting the vertical members and truss together and holding `seid tillen 8. An inside end stiil'ener for box cars comprisinga tension memberifand a oompression member connected together at their extremities, a filler spacing `said members apart at the center, feet at the ends ofthe stiiener `attecheble to the sides of ab csr, end gussetzplates extending between the feet and adjacent portions of lthe stiiiener.

'9. An inside endfstifenerfor ears located above and separate from the under frame, comprising a one pieceeompression member arched away 'romthecarend in its central portion and connected tothe carend toward its extremities, @and means Iet the ends of the compression member connected to the car sides In Witness: Wir-eredi l 'have hereunto fset my hand.

JAMEsfi/i. @ehem/ttt 

